Hinge assemblies for appliance doors are known to include a damper such as a pneumatic or hydraulic damper with a selectively extensible and retractable rod pivotally connected to a first component of the hinge assembly and a body pivotally connected to a second component of the hinge assembly such that the damper rod is extended and retracted in response to pivoting movement of the first and second hinge assembly components relative to each other. The pneumatic or hydraulic damper, which optionally includes an internal biasing spring, provides the desired damping characteristics to the hinge assembly to provide a soft close appliance door.
These known hinge assemblies are effective, durable, and otherwise exhibit desired performance characteristics, but the dampers are large, heavy, expensive, and complicate design and manufacture of the hinge assembly in that a change in damping characteristics requires a change of the internal components of the pneumatic or hydraulic damper, such as the piston and/or spring, which can increase cost and time required for damper design and manufacturing changes. Conventional pneumatic and hydraulic dampers often require that the overall structure of the hinge assembly be changed to accommodate the damper in place of a conventional coil spring. Furthermore, conventional dampers are operative to act on the hinge assembly over its full range of motion, which is sometimes not a preferred characteristic.
Based upon the above noted issues and others, a need has been identified for a new and improved appliance hinge assembly that provides desired soft close characteristics while overcoming the above-noted deficiencies and others associated with conventional pneumatic and/or hydraulic dampers.